Community Corner

In Parshas B’Shalach, the Jewish people were trapped between the sea on one side and the advancing Egyptians on the other. Moshe turned to Hashem in prayer, and Hashem instructed him to raise his staff and stretch his hand over the waters to part the sea. The Jewish people then entered the sea.

Chazaq, the dynamic organization dedicated to community enrichment, held a poignant event on Sunday, January 7, at Kol Yisrael Achim, featuring Roi Assaraf, a survivor of the October 7 massacre. The event attracted a packed crowd eager to hear Mr. Assaraf’s compelling story of survival, faith, and the transformative journey towards embracing a fully observant Jewish lifestyle.

On Sunday, January 7, exactly three months after the war in Israel began, the Great Neck Synagogue hosted a Boots for Israel boot packing event. Marc Yehaskel is a friend and life-long Great Neck resident. His invaluable advice and inspiration overseeing every aspect of the day brought Sunday’s Boot Packing in Great Neck to fruition. Rabbi Dale Polakoff, Rabbi of the Great Neck Synagogue, not only lent his shul, but “rolled up his sleeves,” and he and his wife Ellen spent the whole day packing, cleaning, and generally making sure to accommodate all the needs of the Boots for Israel group.

The Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel (IBSI), dedicated to strengthening the relationship between Israel and the Jewish people, and people of African descent through education and advocacy, and the Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), representing over 2,500 traditional, Orthodox rabbis in matters of public policy, Monday called for renewed partnership on the occasion of Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

Mosdos L’man Achai hosted a “Second Generation” Shabbaton with Rabbi Shmuel Z. Kleinman, Rosh HaMosad, in his Williamsburg, Brooklyn, residence. Sons of L’man Achai students and campers, many of whom also attend the organization’s high school and camp under the same name L’man Achai in Kew Gardens Hills, and Andes in the Catskills, respectively.

The Jewish Studies Scholars Solidarity Trip to Israel in Crisis

Following the initial shock of the Hamas massacre in southern Israel, and days of desperate incessant news-following, many Jewish institutions and communities across North America rallied to do anything they could to help war-torn Israel.